PGA Tour Stats Review: Entering the Travelers

Cushing covers the PGA Tour for RotoWire, bringing a sabermetric approach to golf stats. Retired and living in the mountains of North Carolina, Cushing is in the running for the Most Interesting Man in Fantasy Sports. He's golfed the Doral Blue Monster, Harbour Town GC, Hilton Head and Augusta National, among many other tough courses. A classically trained pianist, Cushing still plays professionally. He roots for the University of Virginia because the Cavaliers may lose the game, but they ALWAYS win the party. He also made a fortune off the '72 Dolphins.

Simpson's third and fourth rounds of 2-under 68s, the best two closing rounds, earned the U.S. Open trophy. Some might say he backed into the win, but his two 68s have to be recognized as earning the trophy.

For fantasy play, one has to modify selections of golfer experience from overall experience to experience in majors. Older players, 40 and up, are starting to show their age in the course set-ups of majors.

They aren't going completely away, but they are showing the wear and tear. Compare Jim Furyk, age 42, vs. Graeme McDowell, age 33, side-by-side this week. Others such as Retief Goosen, 43, Phil Mickelson, 42, David Toms, 45, Ernie Els, 42, have to compare with a raft of players in their 20s and early 30s who are making themselves noticed.

And remember the amateurs, coming up on the horizon, who did well last week.

Changes are coming.
This Week's Traveler's Championship

EVENT

WINNER

DRIVE

DRIVE

DRIVE

DRIVE

GIR

GIR

PUTTS

PUTTS

EAGLE/

BOGEY/

%of56

RNK

DIS

DIS RNK

%of72

RNK

Per GIR

RNK

RND

RNK

BIRDIE

DBL

2011 Travelers

Jacobson -20

85.7

9

274.6

46

72.2

34

1.67

11

26.5

3

0/21

1/0

Rollins -19

89.3

3

291.1

19

81.9

3

1.61

3

28.3

23

0/25

6/0

Moore -19

80.4

18

283.3

36

72.9

34

1.60

2

26.8

5

1/22

5/0

M.Thompson -18

67.9

62

274.3

49

77.8

13

1.68

14

27.8

9

0/23

3/1

Driscoll -16

80.4

18

296.8

35

79.2

6

1.68

16

28.8

35

1/22

8/0

A. Romero -15

67.9

62

291.8

16

69.4

46

1.62

5

26.5

3

0/23

8/0

Streelman -15

85.7

9

274.1

50

76.4

17

1.64

6

28

16

1/22

9/0

Molder -15

76.8

30

270.9

58

75

25

1.69

17

28

16

1/22

9/0

AVERAGE

79.3

26.4

282.1

38.6

75.6

22.3

1.65

9.3

27.6

13.8

Following the U.S. Open would seem to be a challenge - hardly, for this event has support galore from a dedicated troupe of volunteers and gung-ho fans.

In 2011, the PGA Tour used the new putting metric, Strokes Gained-Putting (SG-P), the first time at this event. Overly simplifying, using ShotLink putting data collected over several years, all phases of putting have been consolidated into one statistical number. Putts-per-GIR and total putts, the previous stand alone measures of putting have been assimilated. Those two stats are continued in tournament play along with SG-P.

Fredrik Jacobson, the 2011 winner, got his first PGA Tour win and also became the first to have his putting measured by SG-P. Another first was the 10-under 60 in the second round by 19-year-old amateur Patrick Cantlay, an amateur record in a PGA Tour event.

Customarily, players who competed in the U.S. Open the week before have added muscle and depth for the Travelers field. Some of this year's Open participants in the Travelers field are Angel Cabrera, Patrick Cantlay, Tim Clark, Lucas Glover, Padraig Harrington, Fredrik Jacobson, Robert Karlsson, previous winners Hunter Mahan and Bubba Watson and South African majors winners Louis Oosthuisen and Charl Schwartzel (Schwartzel withdrew with lingering rib problems).